This year was the start of Outdoor Book Club, AKA the Armchair Travelers. We read books related to nature: appreciating it, getting lost in it, conquering it, being humbled by it, learning about it. This club started in July/August, so we worked through 5 books so far. And it's been a ride! We have traveled to the top of one of the tallest mountains in the world and to the very depths of the Earth's core. There has been death and danger but also absolute fascination about the marvels that this single planet possesses.
One of the great things about being in a book club is that every month offers something new: What country will we be traveling to? What trouble will we face? What piece of Earth's wonders will we have the pleasure of taste-testing, like an appetizer that makes you hungry for more? It's been a great bonding experience with old and new friends, discussing abstract topics from existence and love to more concrete aspects like survival, communication skills, and traveling. Regardless of how well-received the book is by the group, the themes of outdoor adventure and nature unites us, and we all have something to contribute from our personal experiences.
We've been improving our setup. From the beginning, we've had snacks and drinks, but now they are starting to become themed (world food, yes please!). Joining by Zoom has been an improvement as well, having microphones and conference speakers that improve the quality of conversation for our internet joiners. This has also allowed people to join from Colorado and Hawaii! There are some people who are present every month, and others that join when they can; roughly ~12 in total. Quite frankly, it's one of my favorite events to look forward to, and now I have motivation/an excuse to actually read for pleasure.
So, without further ado, the 2022 lineup:
Annapurna: A woman's place by Arlene Blum
Group rating: 9.5/10
Annapurna: one of the tallest and deadliest mountains in the world, located in the Himalayas. Mountaineering, like most outdoor sports, has historically been male-dominated. This team of women, from wildly different backgrounds and age groups, found the courage to come together and ascend this peak. It took months of planning and preparation. Not only did they have to feed themselves, but they also had to provide food for, pay, and appropriately clothe the team of Sherpas who were assisting with moving endless supply boxes and supporting the women up the mountain. This book was less about making it to the top of the peak and more about team dynamics, the immense work that goes into planning, shuttling supplies to and from camps, battling snowstorms and avalanches, and managing relations between the women mountaineers and the Sherpa men. With different personalities, cultures, and expectations, how would everyone settle into their roles?
Spoiler: not easily.
Overall, our group enjoyed this book immensely. A great choice to kick off the club with!
Lost in the Valley of Death by Harley Rustad
Group rating: 4.6/10
Justin Alexander was a mid-30 year old man from the United States, described as an outdoor prodigy. As a young boy, he excelled at wilderness school and then became a world traveller. A jack of all trades who had also become a monk and a wealthy entrepreneur, Justin's life was not linear: he bounced around searching for his purpose and the meaning of life. Justin was struggling, to say the least. He thought the solutions to his problems were in India, a place where countless people experienced awakenings. The Parvati Valley called to him, as it called to so many other foreigners who were looking for answers. Foreigners who then disappeared and were never found again. Justin was not spared. But, was there foul play involved? Or was it his intention to go incognito, finally freed from social pressures?
I actually rated this book higher than the other group members; maybe because I saw a lot of myself in Justin: always wanting the next and biggest adventure, wanting to find meaning. Many found the endless descriptions of India challenging to get past, feeling like a large disconnect from the main story. At times, the book felt slow, and Justin felt glorified. He became a difficult person to like, but, at the same time, we empathized. This book is critiqued for trying to be like Into the Wild, but it doesn't quite hit the same way.
Rowing to Latitude by Jill Fredston
Group rating: 8/10
This book is a series of essays with each chapter a new adventure, a new route across the Arctic in places like Alaska, Svalbard, Greenland, and Norway. This powerhouse couple thrives on solitude, type II fun, and remote and breathtaking terrain that few people, if any, ever get to see. Their mode of transport? Rowboats. As to be expected, there is danger associated with being on the open water and in freezing temperatures. There are wildlife fighting for survival and unwelcome villagers who absolutely do not want the company of strangers. It's clear that there is an air of elitism in this couple, but it's certainly deserved.
One of my favorite parts of the book is not necessarily the experiences that this couple had but the way Jill described them. She crafted sentences in such a poetic way that I was stunned the world could be described so eloquently. A goal for any aspiring writer or story teller. Overall, this book resonated with the group, and we were impressed by these feats (nearly all of us foreign to rowing).
Underland by Robert Macfarlane
Group rating: 6/10
This book was unlike the other books we have read. The previous three books were travel accounts, directly from the author or written about someone else. Underland took us in a different direction: down. How often do we consider what happens beneath our feet? The incredible fungal and tree networks that aid communication and nutrient sharing. Tunnels that provide us high-speed travel. Refuge during wars. The home of loved ones after they've passed. The extraction of minerals at an unsustainably high rate. What emotions are revealed when we think about the earth? Is it intimidating, scary, overwhelming? Claustrophobic? Prior to reading this book, I was (and still am) very unaware of what happens beneath my feet. Events that have been underway for the entirety of the Earth's geologic record. This book is just a snapshot introduction into some of those events, and it is presented in an easily digestible, but still scientific, kind of way.
The main cons of this book for the club were its length (400+ pages is hefty for a month) and the feeling of choppiness between all the facts. One member described it as a "Planet Earth" kind of novel where there were many mini stories about the Earth but none in as much depth as we would have liked. For instance, an entire book could have been made about the "Wood Wide Web" and tree communication (and it has been), but it was shallowly covered here. To me, this is a pro: a bunch of scientific appetizers to introduce the complexity of the underland. The writing style also clashed with some preferences as Macfarlane overly embellishes for emphasis (can't fool the scientists of the group!)
This Road I Ride by Julianna Buhring
Group rating: 7/10
Juliana, a spicy and determined woman from Italy (or from nowhere), embarked on a trip around the world by bicycle after losing a loved one. Having barely ridden a bike before, she is driven to set the Guinness World Record for fastest women's time around Earth, a record that hadn't been set yet. With no money, no experience with bike repair, and some training, she solo rides west across countries and continents, fueled by people thinking she would fail and her intrinsic drive to succeed. She crushes expectations and shatters preconceived notions. But, of course, she runs into some trouble along the way: endless bike repairs, stalkers, mental and emotional fatigue, and sickness. While reminiscing on her childhood growing up in a cult and overcoming grief, Juliana learns a lot about herself along the way.
This book was an incredibly fast read, with a few of us finishing it in 1-2 days. As a self-defined cyclist and one-time bike tourist, I was very excited to read this. While I loved the concept of this book, unfortunately, I felt deprived. Six months of traveling around the world were packed into a meagre ~240 pages. The description of characters, places, and experiences were minimal, and it was hard for me to fully immerse myself in her trip. Others disagreed, though: the amount of descriptions covered was plenty, and any more would have felt like a travel book. One thing was certain: we were all very impressed that this woman, who had not really biked before, set the world record for biking 18,000+ miles (averaging ~125/day). I truly appreciate hearing about badass women accomplishing feats; it is both empowering and inspiring, and she makes me envision myself being able to do the same. Overall, a well-liked book for the club.
Thanks to everyone who joined in 2022!
Eve
Annika
Ben
Peter
Charlotte
Frankie
Carrie
Casey
Mom
Gemma
Uri
Kelly
Sarah
Abby
The next book coming up for January 2023: Touching the Void by Joe Simpson!
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